


Child, Traveler, Soldier, Knight

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen, Sexist soldiers, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-25 16:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10768455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: Stories from before Link's assignment as Princess Zelda's appointed knight, telling the tale of an aspiring warrior who got swept up in something bigger than anyone could have forseen.





	1. Mipha's Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Let's see if I can get through a semi-continuous fic without getting discouraged halfway through again.
> 
> I know "Female Link" is such an unoriginal idea that it's bled over into canon, you don't have to tell me. But I thought I'd give it a try of my own. If this works out well enough, I might try writing a whole Breath of the Wild series, but that'll have to wait and see. The series label is just an in-case-of thing.

"Company, halt!"

The call of the commanding knight caused a legion of armed soliders - and one child - to slow to a stop. It was nearly noon, and they were standing at the point where Zora River emptied into the Lanayru Wetlands; as the slowest few soldiers caught up with the unit, the commander called again, "Company, halt!"

Once everyone was stopped, he directed his sword upriver. "Those of you to be stationed in Zora's Domain, proceed along this path. A Zora by the name of Kapson will be awaiting you at Inogo Bridge. Those of you continuing to Goron City, remain with me." Then, turning around; "Company, march!"

The soldiers started moving; half of them upriver, and half of them following the commander. This was a long-held - though slowly-dying - tradition in the Hyrulean forces; recruits who had proven themselves fit for a field test were broken into four units and sent to four regions in Hyrule; Zora's Domain, Rito Village, Goron City, and Kara Kara Bazaar. Among those continuing to Zora's Domain was a father by the name of Tempus - and at his side was his daughter, a girl named Link.

In short order, the company arrived at Inogo Bridge. There was indeed a Zora awaiting them there, and at the sight of the approaching unit he stepped into the center of the bridge - a silent warning not to try and pass him by. The soldiers came to a halt at roughly ten paces away, and once the entire unit had gone quiet the Zora coughed lightly to clear his throat before speaking.

"Welcome, Hyrulean soldiers." His words sounded scripted rather than sincere. "My name is Kapson. I will be your guide on the way to Zora's Domain. Please remain close, and do not get any ideas about straying from the path. It's due to rain today, and nobody wants to be at the bottom of a rocky cliff in the middle of a thunderstorm."

"Yes sir, Kapson, sir!" the entire unit called.

The Zora started to turn, but a curious sight caught his attention. "Oh? What have we here?" His gaze turning to the child among them; "I did not think the Hyrulean army would employ younglings to serve them."

"No, sir, my apologies." Tempus made his way to the front of the group, the youngling at his side. "This is my daughter, Link. She's... not among the soldiers."

Kapson narrowed his gaze. "Why is she accompanying you?"

"Because he's a soft man!" jeered someone in the back, eliciting a few chuckles among the soldiers.

"Quiet, you!" Kapson reprimanded.

Tempus looked awkward under his helmet. "He's... not wrong, sir," he admitted. "She's without her mother, and I did not want to leave her behind in Castle Town whilst I came here. I cleared it with the higher-ups and asked if she wanted to come along with me."

"And I said yes!" Link added. She had a wooden stick in her left hand like a makeshift sword, and was imitating her father's attentive stance, down to holding her right hand out like she had a shield to hold in it.

Kapson huffed. "Well, if she's here of her own volition, then I've nothing more to say on the matter. Come along, soldiers!"

* * *

From Inogo Bridge, along the riverside, briefly through the Tabahl Woods, past the Bank of Wishes, across Oren Bridge and Luto's Crossing, up and down Ruto Mountain, and over Ruto Lake - even the most tireless among the soldiers were starting to feel the burn as they reached the Great Zora Bridge. If any of them had doubted Tempus' decision to have Link accompany them, they were no longer, for the energy of a child is nothing to scoff at, and with a militant march still to her steps as the sun set, none of them wanted to be shown up by a kid.

A young Zora girl of crimson scales, no taller than Link, was awaiting them at the start of the bridge; Kapson raised a hand at his side, prompting the company of soldiers to halt, before dropping to one knee, whereupon the soldiers did the same. The Zora girl bowed briefly before speaking aloud. "Welcome, Hyrulean soldiers. I am Mipha, the daughter of King Dorephan. We welcome you to Zora's Domain. Kapson," she added, turning to the older Zora, "please meet with my father for further instruction."

Kapson got to his feet. "Yes, Lady Mipha."

He stepped past her as the soldiers started to rise, and Mipha turned back to face them. "Soldiers," she instructed, "please come with me. My father has decreed that you shall make camp at the Veiled Falls for the duration of your stay here."

The soldiers followed the Zora princess as she proceeded across the Great Zora Bridge and into Zora's Domain. Mipha took them up to the second level and across another bridge to the east, then south along the cliffside to the base of a great waterfall. When they arrived, they were surprised to find several wooden chests scattered about.

"In each of these chests is a set of Zora Greaves," Mipha told the assembled soldiers. "Each of you are welcome to one to keep as a memento of your time in Zora's Domain. Their design will provide ease of movement in the water. I believe we have prepared enough for each of you," she added, "but if anyone should be left without, please inform us come morning. I bid you all good night, and wish you best of luck during your time here."

* * *

Field tests in the Hyrulean forces consisted of drills and exercises in the regions to which they were assigned, as well as aiding any emergent matters that should arise during their time there, if aid should be required. Link would occasionally observe the soldiers' actions, but for the most part - as she had in Castle Town - she would spend her time wandering about the community, making friends with the other younglings. 'Youngling' was, unfortunately, a much broader spectrum among Zora than it was among Hylians; Mipha was nearly ten years her senior, and many seemingly-young Zora were older than the soldiers.

It was about a month after the soldiers had arrived. Link was practicing her 'swordplay' at the end of the bridge to the Veiled Falls when a call of "Hey!" caused her to turn. An unfamiliar Zora boy with green scales was approaching, with a stick of his own in hand (though fairly longer than hers). He came to a stop nearby. "You're that Link girl, right?" he called.

"Yeah," Link confirmed. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sura," the boy replied. "You wanna fight?"

Link smiled, readying her stick at her side and swinging it forward. "Sure!" she agreed. "I'm up for it!"

The boy gripped his own stick like a spear - both hands along its shaft, with one end facing towards her. "Hope you're good!"

"Back at ya!"

Sura charged forward, and Link swung her 'sword' down towards him. He hopped aside and thrust his 'spear' towards her, landing a sharp blow on her side, but she only stumbled away from it, slamming her weapon into one of his shoulders and then the other. Sura managed to step back away from the third swing, then charged forward and thrust his weapon into her left hand, causing her to drop her stick.

"Haha!" he laughed. "Got your sword hand! Can't fight now, can you?"

Link only grabbed the weapon with her right hand, and swung it forward, hitting him in the side and then the opposite shoulder. "Guess again!"

"Hey!" Sura protested. "You can't fight with your other hand!"

"Why not?" Link asked. "I'm good with both!"

Sura growled at her, moving his grip on his 'spear' so that it was long out of his hands and swiping it forward; Link wasn't able to get back far enough to stop it from slamming into her legs a lot harder than he was hitting before. She stumbled back and struck at him with her 'sword', going for his hands, but he only slammed another blow into her side, knocking her to the ground and causing her to drop her weapon again.

"Had enough?" he asked.

Link managed to get to her feet, picking up her stick again. "Yeah," she replied. "You win."

Sura laughed at her. "Guess that's what happens when you act too tough!" he taunted, turning away and running across the bridge.

With two groans - one from her mouth, and one from her stomach - Link stumbled towards the camp. Tempus had taken to bow fishing since they had arrived, and a large stock of Hyrule Bass was available for Link to keep her stomach full while he was gone. She'd been making sure the fire was going with the soldiers busy, and she stuck a bass on her stick and held it up to the flame to start cooking it.

To her surprise, it was only a few minutes later that another young Zora approached the camp - the princess, Mipha. On seeing her, Link quickly got to her feet... and promptly stumbled, having risen too quickly while her wounds were still stinging. Nonetheless, she dropped to one knee as the Zora princess approached. "Lady Mipha," she greeted. "Nice to see you."

"Are you quite alright?" Mipha asked, stepping towards her.

"K-Kinda," Link admitted, getting to her feet. "A boy named Sura came and dueled with me. He wasn't happy when he found out I can fight with both hands."

Mipha seemed worried. "Oh, dear." She approached Link warily. "Sura is fifteen years older than you are. You must be hurt."

Link's gaze fell. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm always thinking Zora are younger than they are."

"You needn't blame yourself," Mipha assured her. "Everyone makes the same mistake. Hold on, let me heal you."

That statement befuddled Link. "Heal me?" she asked. "How?"

"Show me where you're hurt."

Confused, but curious, Link held out her left hand, where she had a pretty deep scratch from his hit on her fingers. To her surprise, Mipha held out her hand towards it, and a soft white glow emerged from her hand, washing lightly across the scratch. Link could  _feel_ the scratch closed itself up, and a gasp emerged from her as the wound disappeared.

Mipha pulled her hand away, and Link looked over her hand. "That was... cool," she admitted.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Link sat down on a nearby rock and rolled up her leggings, revealing nasty bruises - and a puncture - on her legs. Again did Mipha hold out her hand, and that light washed over Link's wounds, healing her. Once she was done there, Link showed the bruises on her sides, letting Mipha heal those as well.

"Thanks," Link said gratefully.

"You'd best not be picking fights with the others," Mipha advised her. "Some of them are eager to be winners, and you're young enough that they'd think you're easy to win against."

"Nobody ever said I always did the best," Link laughed.

Mipha smiled. "I... don't think I know your name," she admitted.

"I'm Link."


	2. Link's Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biggest reason I chose to use a female Link is, with Breath of the Wild having proper voice acting and everything, a male Link sticks out in my mind as being silent, so it doesn't feel right having a male Link be vocal. That being said, this chapter was written specifically for a female Link.

"Atten- _hut!_ "

The newest batch of recruits to the Hyrulean forces were armed and armoured with the same shield, sword, and plate mail, sparring in the castle yard - some more seriously than others. At the captain's order, the recruits lined up, and once they were all in position he began to march down the line. "Alright, soldiers. Before all else, I want to see exactly what every last one of you is capable of, firsthand. So! In turn, each and every one of you will face me in single combat, to disarm. Am I clear!?"

"Yes, sir!"

He had reached the end of the line, now, and grabbed the pauldron of the soldier at that end. "You shall be my first opponent!" he proclaimed, stepping forward into a circular battlefield and drawing his sword and (metal) shield. The solider drew his own sword and (wooden) shield, taking a ready stance.

"What's your name, soldier?"

Barely half a second passed between the end of his question and the striking of a small bell nearby. The soldier started to reply, "I'm Moosh-" before the captain swung his sword, and he just managed to raise his shield to catch the blow, going to strike back. "S-Son of-"

The captain swung his shield towards the coming sword, and it found itself knocked out of his hands - and the bell rang again when it hit the ground. The captain stepped back. "Take off your helmet, soldier!" he commanded. "Set it aside."

Moosh lowered his shield and lifted the helmet off his head.

"Alright, soldier," the captain declared. "You get back in line. Next!"

This continued through the rest of the soldiers, with the captain asking each of their names the moment before the gong rang; none of the rest made the mistake of letting their guard down as they answered, but the captain was nonetheless a cut above the soldiers he was training. Every soldier was made to take off his helmet after being bested, then instructed to rejoin the line - and all of them were somewhat fearful that they'd be made to fight a second round.

Roughly halfway down the line, one of the soldiers was unarmed as he stepped up - and the captain took notice. "Where is your gear, soldier?" he demanded.

"B-Broken, sir," the soldier admitted nervously.

The captain was about to speak again when the soldier next in line called, "He can use mine." As the unarmed soldier turned, he was offered the shield and sword - the sheath of which was fastened so the hilt was over its owner's left shoulder.

"You didn't modify those for a left-hander, did you?" the unarmed asked.

"Soldier," the captain reprimanded, "the shield is a perfect circle, and the sword is double-edged. There is nothing he could've done to make it easier to carry the sword in the left hand. Now take them and get ready, soldier!"

Without further protest, the soldier accepted the armaments and stepped into the battlefield, standing at the ready.

"What's your name, soldier?" the captain demanded.

The bell rang, and the soldier acted first, moving his sword forward. The captain caught the blow on his shield and returned with one of his own as the soldier forced out, "I'm John... Son of James." He quickly raised his shield to blow the next swing, then moved his sword forward; the captain only ground his sword against the shield's surface and into the side of the blade, knocking it out of his hands and causing the bell to ring again.

"Give those back to their owner, soldier," the captain instructed, "then take off your helmet and get back in line. Next!"

John handed the sword and shield back to their owner, who stepped forward and took a ready stance - indeed, left-handed.

"What's your name, soldier?"

The bell rang, and the captain swung his sword forward, finding it met on a quick-moving shield. The parry knocked his sword back, but he managed to keep a firm grip on it as the soldier's sword thrust forward, meeting the blade of his own near the hilt. The captain ground the edges against each other, putting the meeting with the soldier's blade further up his own - which quickly proved to be a worse idea than it had seemed, as the soldier quickly arced the joined swords into a spin, amidst which it was much harder to keep his grip.

The broadsword spun through the air and impaled itself in the ground nearby, and the entire regiment gasped as the bell rang.

The captain only scoffed, smirking. "Very well done. Now, take off your helmet and get back in line, soldier."

"Link."

The response caught the captain off-guard as the soldier's weapon was sheathed. "What was that?"

The helmet was drawn off, revealing the face - a young woman's face - beneath it. "I'm Link," she repeated. "Daughter of Tempus. You asked."

The captain huffed. "That I did, soldier," he admitted.

Link made her way to the back of the regiment, ignoring the sequence of glares she received from the other men.

* * *

It wasn't until late that night that things went badly.

Drills and dinner had gone by without incident; Link had departed the mess hall early and was en route to the barracks when she found several of the other soldiers standing in her way expectantly. "What do you think you're doin'?" demanded the frontmost man.

"I'm calling it a night," Link replied. "What, did I miss something with the captain's orders?"

"No, I mean, what do you think you're doin'  _here_ ," he reprimanded, stepping forward. "Why would you sign up for the Hyrule Castle guard?"

"I want to follow in my father's footsteps," Link replied. "Isn't that why half of you are here?"

"Yes," the man admitted, "but there's a good difference between you and us. You know that."

Link saw where this was going. "Oh, I am not dealing with this attitude right now," she insisted, turning away.

She'd hardly made it ten paces before the marching of many footsteps warned her that the rest of the soldiers were approaching from the other side - she was surrounded, with a solid wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other. That frontmost man behind her came but two paces behind her as the approaching crowd came to a halt. "You understand, don't you?" he demanded. "The Hyrulean forces are no place for a lady. You don't belon' here."

"Go to Demise," Link snapped without turning.

A heavy blow collided with her back, throwing her to the ground before she had a chance to react. Someone from the later crowd charged forward, and as Link started to rise she heard him say, "Hey, Dimitri, leave her alone."

"You're not seriously takin' her side, are you, Harold?" Dimitri protested.

"You saw her duel the captain same as everyone else," Harold reprimanded. "She's got as much reason to be here as we all do."

"Oh, put a lid on it."

Link raised her gaze in time to see someone slam the pommel of a sword into the back of Harold's head; as the soldier fell to the ground, he lowered the weapon to reveal a shattered blade. "Well, then," the sneak attacker prompted. "What now?"

"Now we show her what happens when a lady sticks her nose where she doesn't belong."

* * *

There is nothing one person can do against fifty of equal strength. Despite her best efforts, Link found herself dragged through the castle and to the forges - the smiths had long departed, but the fires were still lit. "Get them red-hot!" Dimitri commanded. "Ricky, give me that busted blade."

Moosh was the main force throwing Link against the wall as Ricky handed over the broken sword he had struck Harold with; then the two of them forced her arms and legs spread-eagle as Dimitri turned the weapon in hand like a knife. The point where the blade had broken was predictably dull, but the edges were still sharp; Dimitri showed incredible control as he managed to slice the sleeves of Link's tunic open without so much as nicking the arms beneath them.

"Now, then, you listen here," Dimitri reprimanded. "A miss  _never_  gets to toy with a man and walk away without a mark. So now, you're gonna get a mark for every man you've been toyin' with."

"What are you talking about!?" Link screeched.

Dimitri held out his hand, and someone set a long metal shape into it - and Link was horrified when he turned it forward, revealing a metal heart affixed to the end - red-hot. "This is what I'm talkin' about," he snapped.

Link's wide eyes locked onto the end. "You wouldn't dare...!"

"Would I not?" Dimitri demanded. "This one's for the captain you lured into makin' you look good!"

He pressed the brand into her left arm, and Link screamed as the metal burned into her skin, her cries ripping through the castle. Dimitri pulled the brand away after a long moment, baring a scar that Link would carry for ages, and handed it to one of the other members of the crowd, receiving a freshly-heated one in return.

"This one's for John you made use a left-hander's shield and sword!" The fresh brand was pressed into her arm, immediately beside the first mark, eliciting another scream, and again when Dimitri pulled it away he was handed another one. "This one's for Harold you thought could back you up!"

Link's voice died amidst her third scream; and Dimitri pulled it away once the third heart was burned into her flesh. "Now then, what've we learned, missy?" he demanded. "A lady don't belon' in the soldier's yard, unless she's got a  _rin'_  from one of them. Got it?"

Despite the tears of pain flowing down her face, Link managed to find her voice long enough to spit at him; "Up... your... sorry... hind!"

Dimitri's glare intensified. "Oh, you still think you're stickin' round, do you?" he growled. "Well, then, why don't I give you a rin', so you got a _reason_ to be there!"

He handed the used brand to the crowd, and was handed a different one - a hollow circle that he directed into Link's right arm. This was fresh; the skin around the impact hadn't been exposed to the heat as the other arm had, and Link's scream had a new force to it as the burning was pressed into her skin.

It had only just been there as long as the others, and Dimitri was about to pull it away when a woman's voice emerged from behind the soldiers, yelling, "What is the meaning of this!?"

The entire crowd turned in a shock on hearing the voice. Standing behind the crowd was a woman dressed in royal blue. Her hair was braided to keep it out of her face, but flowed freely down her back nearly to waist level; at her hip was a stone slate bearing the emblem of the Sheikah.

"Princess Zelda!"

The crowd pulled back, and every soldier there fell to one knee - inadvertently giving the princess a clear view of what was happening to the soldier against the wall. Ricky and Moosh released Link's arms as they and Ricky turned and knelt; Link's feet barely managed to keep her upright, and she ended up falling to both knees, yet managed to keep the presence of mind to bow her head forward.

Angrily, Princess Zelda stormed forward, coming to a stop before the brander. "On your feet," she commanded. "What is your name?"

"Dimitri, Princess," he muttered, getting to his feet. "Son of Dodon."

Zelda said not even a word as she stepped towards the owner of the broken blade. "You, on your feet. What is your name?"

"Ricky, Your Highness. Son of Kana."

Then, to the man on the opposite side; "And you, on your feet. What is your name?"

"Moosh, Your Royalness. Son of Durim."

Zelda stepped back. "Dimitri. Ricky. Moosh. The three of you are hereby discharged from your training in the Hyrule Castle guard, and forbidden from enlisting in any other unit of the Hyrulean forces. And if ever it is found that you have repeated what has been done here today, you will be imprisoned amongst Moblins and Lizalfos, and cast forth as  _fodder_ should ever we see the rise of Calamity Ganon."

The three would-be soliders had gone sheet-white by the time she finished.

"Now,  _go!_ "

As they fled, Zelda stepped back so she had a full view of the crowd. "If any of the rest of you are not here of your own volition, speak now," she commanded. "But understand, I will know if you are deceiving me, and your punishment will be all the worse for it."

Silence.

"All of you are here because you want to be?"

The fervent nodding of fifty heads.

" _Speak!_ "

Everyone present called out the same; "Yes, Princess Zelda!"

Zelda breathed a tight breath. "You will be roused ere dawn tomorrow," she informed them, "and taken to the Sacred Grounds. At the first sign of daybreak, you will march across the Romani Plains, over Boneyard and Helmhead Bridges, over the Elma Knolls and to Irch Plain, then through the Breach of Demise, over Carok Bridge, past Mount Gustaf, and back to Castle Town. And anyone caught attempting to flee this punishment will then  _turn around._ Am I clear?"

"Yes, Princess Zelda!"

"Off with you!"

The crowd quickly fled the forges in short order, leaving Zelda to approach Link. "Can you stand, soldier?"

Link managed to get to her feet, her arms hanging limply at her side. "Your Grace... answer me this," she insisted. "What you just did... Would you have done... for any other soldier?"

"Anyone I saw in your position," Zelda insisted, "I would have done the same."

Quiet; then Link made to leave.

Zelda raised her arm to bar the way. "And as with anyone I saw in your position," she added, "you are not going anywhere until those wounds are tended to."

* * *

Link was taken to the infirmary, and the head healer was sent to prepare treatments. The captain was called in short order, and informed what his soldiers had one. Zelda elected to stay at Link's bedside until the healer returned - which was where she was when King Rhoam came looking for her, shortly after the first ray of dawn.

"What are you doing here, Zelda?"

At the sound of the king's firm voice; Link found her head bowed as the princess got to her feet. "This soldier was dragged to the forges last night," she explained, "and branded for imagined slights. Her screams woke me. Once I saw her attackers dismissed, I brought her here to have her wounds tended to. As soon as the healer returned, I intended to leave."

Rhoam's solid expression faded away, replaced with one of concern as he approached Link's bedside. "Those burns look raw," he observed. "When did this happen?"

"Before midnight."

"And the first treatment has not begun?"

Zelda bowed her head. "No, Father."

Rhoam growled low, turning to a nearby aide. "Find the head healer, and instruct him to come here immediately - as an order from the king." As she took off, he turned to his daughter. "I will stay with her until the healer arrives. You prepare for the day's prayers."

"Very well."

The princess departed, leaving Link alone with the king, and brands that she would carry the rest of her life.

 


	3. Fi's Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer, Fi isn't actually appearing in this fic, in person. That being said, you can probably guess what happens here.

"Company, halt!"

The recruits came to a stop before the captain, who had arrived at a rock formation reminiscent of a canyon, beyond which lay a fog-draped forest. Once everyone had stopped, the captain readied his shield. "Listen up, soldiers!" he declared. "We stand before the Lost Woods. Any who wander blindly in this wood are blinded the fog, taken by the magic of the trees, and dragged back to this entrance. However!" He pointed his sword ahead of him. "A careful eye will see a flame, burning bright in a torch within this wood. These torches line a path through these woods!"

His soldiers exchanged glances, knowing there had to be a catch to that claim.

"This path leads to a dead end!" the captain declared. "And the first soldier to reach that dead end will find seventy Hyrulean ambers. He will then take  _one_ of those ambers, and bring it back here. And the second soldier to reach that dead-end will find sixty-nine! And we will stay here until every last one of you has brought us an amber from that dead-end!" He drove his sword into the ground before himself. "Now! Which of you has the  _drive_ to be the first to undertake this trial!"

One soldier stepped forward.

The captain narrowed his gaze. "Soldier, you have shown the drive to be the first to undertake  _every_ trial I have given this unit! However!" He drew his sword from the earth. "Is this because you  _want_ to be the first to undertake them, or do you mean to prove something to the men who stood back and watched as you were given those brands?"

Link's gaze fell to the imprints still burned into her arms - three hearts on her left arm, and a ring on her right. It had been nearly a year since she had received them, and they still stood nearly as prominent as they day she'd taken them. Even now, she didn't have the same strength in her left arm as she did in her right; though she was no less _skilled_ with either hand, wielding a sword right-handed gave her more _power_ with which to swing it. "I... I cannot say that these brands have nothing to do with it, sir," she admitted.

"Soldier, you will be the  _last_ to undertake this trial," the captain declared. "And it will be known that you have more drive than every other soldier in this unit!"

"Yes, sir."

Link stepped back, and the captain aimed his sword at a random recruit. "Soldier,  _you_ will be the first to undertake this trial! Proceed!"

The soldier marched into the woods, and the captain turned to the remaining men. "The rest of you, at ease." The recruits sat themselves down on the earth, resting their legs until their turn arrived. To their surprise, however, the next turn came quite shortly; the fog visible at the entrance to the wood thickened suddenly, and when it cleared out again, the unfortunate soldier was standing there, confused.

"What the...?"

The captain slammed his pommel against his shield, eliciting a ring loud enough to draw the recruit's attention. "Soldier, you have been  _lost!_ " he reprimanded. "You strayed from the path, and the woods dragged you back to the entrance! Now, back with the rest!" He swept his sword towards the gathered recruits. "You will try again once everyone else has had their turn!" Then, aiming at another random recruit; "Soldier, _you_ will go next!"

* * *

Of the thirty-three recruits that went before Link, only seventeen of them managed to make their way through the woods, claim an amber, and return. Once that seventeenth soldier had returned, the captain directed his sword at Link. "Soldier, your turn has arrived!"

Link got to her feet. "Thank you, sir."

She started into the woods; the fog surrounded her in short order as she emerged out of the pseudo-canyon that formed the entrance. The first torch was just past a ruined stone archway that looked like it had been part of a building in some era past; from there, the next torch was clearly visible to her right, and from that one the next one was plain to see straight ahead. The next two were lined up to the left of that one, and another left from that fifth took her to another clear torch.

"How were they getting lost?" Link murmured as she approached the sixth torch. "It's a clear path from..."

She fell quiet when she reached it and found a stunning lack of amber around the torch. With a quiet hum, she glanced around; from here she could see a few of the previous torches, far enough away that she was certain the wood would take her out if she went straight to them. A careful gaze, however, revealed two more torches a good bit away, nearly hidden behind a pair of leafy trees.

"So that's it," Link observed, jogging forward. The fog made no move to close in on her as she approached the torches, finding between them a large, shimmering array of Hyrulean ambers. Once she had arrived, she knelt down and picked up a single amber, tossing it up and down in one hand. "Jeez, that's a bit mean, captain," she observed. "But I suppose it wouldn't be a trial if you didn't-"

A whisper - a girl's voice, carried on the wind - caught her ears. The words were in no Hyrulean tongue; yet she somehow felt the utterings were no more foreign than her own. They had faded by the time they reached her, and Link turned in the direction they had come from.

"Who's... speaking...?"

Warily, she started off, southwest from the twin torches where the ambers lay. A massive tree, whose bark naturally arced into a monstrous face, caught her attention; she had read about the 'ogre trees' of the Hyrule Woodland, but had thought them foolish fancy. As she started to step along its gaze, the girl's voice reached her ears again, from a different direction than before, and she warily paced around the visage, after the voice's source.

She found herself between two more ogre trees, these ones with maws spread wide; and the girl's voice caught her ears again, from a different direction. In following it, she was in line with the tree immediately between the two, and found herself passing another open-mouthed visage. A second closed-jawed tree greeted her as she arrived, and the girl's voice directed her around a third before arriving at another canyon-esque formation not unlike that at the wood's entrance.

A sudden sense of unease took Link at this point, and she glanced back at the forestry behind her. The ogre trees were indistinguishable amongst the wood; there would be no certain way to re-traverse the route she had taken here. The voice whispered to her again, and with a heavy breath Link started between the rocks - which reached much higher than those at the start. The earth seemed to descend, just slightly, as she continued, and the fog faded out from around her; she eventually found herself stepping through a hollow log that looked to have once been part of a massively thick tree.

She felt gazes upon her, yet as she glanced around she looked to be alone. The voice's whispers convinced her to keep going, along what almost seemed like a worn path between brush and trees - and in the sunlight pouring down through the forest's canopy, she found herself gazing upon a massive stone formation in the center of a broad clearing.

"What is that...?"

A massive triangle of stone lay in the center of the wood - and rising from it was a gleaming blue figure.

"What is that, a sword?"

It was indeed a sword - a long, double-edged blade, set into a small pedestal that rose from the great stone triangle. The handle was bound in black, and both pommel and hilt were a stunning skyward blue; the hilt was fashioned in what looked like wings, and a golden jewel rested in its center, at the point from which the stunning white blade emerged. An unsharpened ricasso, nearly half the length of the handle, arced outward to broaden the blade at the point its sharpened edge began; the edge did not taper to a point but arced into it at the tip. The blade bore no fuller, but just at the edge of the ricasso was imprinted an image of three triangles.

The mark of the gods.

* * *

"Sir, she's been gone too long."

The insistent, worried tone of one of the recruits only reaffirmed the concern that the captain had been feeling. "Damnation, you're right," he realized. "Those of you with your ambers, with me! The rest of you, stay here!"

Seventeen soldiers rose to their feet, drawing their swords and shields as they marched after the captain, into the Lost Woods. The captain had walked this path many times before, and he guided them through the archway and along the six torches, then to the final two where the ambers lay.

"Two, four, six... fifty-two," the captain counted. "She was here, and she took an amber. Soldier!" His roar was directed into the woods. "Where are you, soldier!?"

Footsteps brushing through grass.

The company of eighteen men turned as a familiar face emerged from the fog - not carried there by it but traversing through it by foot. A sequence of relieved sighs emerged from the recruits, and even the captain loosed a breath he had been holding from panic; he was about to speak again before she drew close enough for them to see her entirely.

In her left hand was a Hyrulean amber.

In her right was a sword that gleamed with the power to repel evil.


	4. The Champions' Mettle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna stop this one here. Might do a few other Captured Memories later on, but if I do I'll make it a separate work.

"Why  _blue_?" 

It was roughly a week after Link had drawn the Master Sword from its pedestal; the sword rested in its sheath, against the wall, as she changed into a tunic that had been specially made for her. The garb was a bright blue, with white patterns; a swordlike image down the chest, and simple white trim along the collar, hem, and sleeves. It came with fingerless gloves, arm-wraps, and a single leather bracer - which Link had been instructed to wear on her sword arm.

The handmaiden who had been assisting only shook her head at the swordswoman's protest. "This shade is properly known as 'goddess azure'," she told Link.

Link pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose that explains it," she mused, picking up the Master Sword and fastening its sheath to her back.

"All the Champions wear this colour somewhere on their person," the handmaiden explained. "For those who pilot the Divine Beasts, theirs are marked appropriately."

"But since I've got the sword that seals the darkness, I get this instead," Link finished, running her hand down the pattern.

With a sigh, the handmaiden handed her the bracer; Link hesitated for a moment before strapping it onto her right arm. "The princess should be awaiting you at the castle gates," she instructed, "with the other Champions."

Link rolled her shoulders; the garb was comfortable and unrestricting, and her distaste for the colour was nothing she couldn't get over in short order. "Best not dilly-dally, then."

* * *

Zelda was indeed at the castle gates, in significantly more formal garb than last Link had seen her wear - a floor-length dress in royal purple, with sleeves so long she could have hidden scimitars in there. Behind her were a red-scaled Zora carrying a long trident, a dark-feathered Rito with a heavy bow on his back, a white-maned Goron holding a massive crushing blade against the ground, and a Gerudo woman with a shield on her back and a scimitar at her hip. She noticed Link from several paces away; she silently beckoned for her to remain where she was before turning to the Champions and speaking with a formal tone.

"The sword that seals the darkness has chosen its wielder," she announced. "It has been seen fit to introduce her to you all, so that you may know one another's faces in the struggles to come."

She beckoned for Link to step forward; the swordswoman approached and bowed her head as Zelda continued; "May I introduce the Champions who will be piloting the Divine Beasts." She beckoned to each of them in turn as she spoke. "Urbosa, of the Gerudo; Daruk, of the Gorons; Revali, of the Rito; and Mi-"

" _Mipha!?_ " Link's startled outburst caught Zelda off-guard.

"Link?" The Zora princess sounded just as surprised as she was. "It's you!"

Zelda glanced between the two of them. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Mipha nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "When her father was training for the royal guard, he was part of the group assigned to Zora's Domain for the field test. We often spent our time together while they were at task." Then, stepping back; "I'm sorry, we oughtn't have interrupted."

A half-hearted smile rose on Zelda's face. "If you've not seen each other since the inter-regional field tests were retired, your excitement is justified." Her tone was one of someone who did not want to be here, and knew better than to hold it against those who did. "You've no reason to be sorry."

Daruk spoke up at this point. "Well, hey, Princess," he prompted, "if you have your appointed knight, we should do the ceremony, shouldn't we?"

Zelda's expression fell at that. "That's... no," she insisted. "The ceremony is a formality, nothing more. My father is adamant that I continue with my prayers. If he catches wind of this..."

"Then I'll take the full blame for it," Daruk interrupted, slamming one fist against his chest. "You need a break from all that. A walk to the Sacred Grounds and back should give you some time to stretch your slopes a little bit."

"I-I'm inclined to agree with Daruk," Mipha added. "It's best we Champions spend some time together before we need act in tandem. No one can properly cooperate with a total stranger."

Revali's huff drew their attention. "Says the only one who isn't a stranger," he reprimanded. "A gold says you two are gonna spend the whole walk there playing catch-up."

The blush that decorated Mipha's face had Zelda fighting a fit of chuckles. "Th... That's not what I-"

She was cut off when a golden figure collided lightly with Revali's beak, and he stumbled back as his hand reflexively went forward to catch it. His other hand nursed the impact lightly as he glanced down, and his eyes widened when he saw the polished golden Rupee lying there; everyone's gazes went to Link, who had a firm expression and a similiarly crimson blush decorating her own face.

"Where did you even get three hundred rupees as a knight-in-training?" Urbosa demanded.

"The drill captain likes creamy heart soup," Link mumbled.

"That only raises more questions," Revali insisted.

Zelda cleared her throat to get their attention. "Very well," she insisted. "We'll do the ceremony at the Sacred Grounds."

* * *

Daruk's hopes that taking time for the ceremony would lift Zelda's spirits proved to be in vain; the princess' mood seemed all the darker as she and the Champions left the Sacred Grounds. They were nearly at the entrance to Castle Town when a cry of "Help!" drew everyone's attention. A man on horseback was riding towards them at a full gallop, and as he drew knew he leapt off while his steed was still in motion, prompting Zelda to step forward. "What is it?"

"You have to help them!" he pleaded. "My wife, and her sister... they were attacked at the Mabe Prarie! It was the Yiga Clan! And they've brought a... a Lynel with them!"

Everyone started at them. "What?" Urbosa demanded. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," the man sobbed. "Please, you have to help them!"

Revali was the first to act; wind ripped up around him, and he shot into the air with a spin before soaring forward at high speed. The sudden burst of updraft startled the man's horse; Link quickly charged forward, hopping onto the steed's back as Daruk leapt forward and started rolling, and Mipha leapt on behind her as she spurred the horse to move. Urbosa quickly charged after them, leaving Zelda to raise a hand to her lips and loose a long, high-pitched whistle. Her royal white steed (whom she had dubbed 'Champion' after a petty quarrel with her father) emerged through the Castle Town gates, and she quickly mounted him, sitting side-saddle as she spurred him to move.

* * *

The Rito Champion had reached the Mabe Prarie in short order. Footsoldiers of the Yiga Clan had surrounded a pair of women, one older than the other; several Blademasters stood at range, longswords in hand, and there was indeed a red-maned Lynel nearby with Fire Arrows flickering in its quiver and a sword and shield ready on its back. Revali didn't hesitate; with a spin, his Great Eagle Bow landed in his grip, and he nocked an arrow and took aim at the Footsoldiers nearest the ladies.

Then he fired.

The arrow split as it left his bow, breaking into three sharp projectiles which arced towards the violent Sheikah. Two slammed into the weapon arms of the cultists they struck, throwing their sickles to the ground; the third slammed into a Footsoldier's head, throwing him to the ground. Revali quickly turned, still falling, as the Lynel noticed his presence; the arrow he nocked now was an Ice Arrow, and the Lynel hadn't even readied its bow before the triple-shot froze it in place. He landed swiftly between the women and the Yiga, his sash of goddess azure waving in the draft of his landing.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

The older of the women seemed shocked. "You're...?"

A yell of pain from one of the Blademasters drew their attention in time to see a massive Goron swinging a heavy blade hard enough to send the Yiga flying. He quickly turned into a spin, throwing Footsoldiers into each other as he stepped forward. "Not one for crowd control, are ya?"

"Get them protected and I'll light this place right up!" Revali argued.

Heavenward gales ripped up around him as he shot into the air, and Daruk quickly charged forward, dragging his Boulder Breaker through Yiga footmen as he did. "Stay close to me!" he told the women; and as one of the Footsoldiers lashed his weapon forward, Daruk slammed his fist into the ground, and an orb of crimson light surged up around him and the civilians - with which the razor wind collided ineffectively.

Bomb arrows rained down on the footsoldiers, and the ensuing explosion was visible from sixty seconds away on horseback - as Link and Mipha could attest to. Link was surprised to see Urbosa had managed to catch up to them by  _riding her shield_ across Hyrule Field; she slid across the grass at high speed, bypassing the horse-riding soldiers and approaching the Yiga men. Revali saw her coming and soared out of the way as she reached her hand forward and snapped her fingers... whereupon  _lightning_ _bolts_ surged down on the Yiga clan, disarming a good two-thirds of them and prompting the rest to vanish.

And, unfortunately, also striking the Lynel that Revali had frozen with enough force to shatter the frost.

Urbosa groaned, kicking her Daybreaker up to her feet and drawing her Scimitar of the Seven as the Lynel loosed a savage roar, drawing its sword and shield. Flames gathered around its maw, and Daruk moved his Boulder Breaker between it and the civilians in case his protection should falter as the man-beast loosed a stream of flame towards Revali. The Rito Champion quickly landed, letting the blaze pass overhead, and the Lynel had no chance to try again before Urbosa slammed a spinning blow into its side with her blade, drawing the beast's attention.

Link and Mipha were drawing close at this point, and the Zora Champion started to rise in the saddle. "On my mark," she instructed Link, "take him hard to the left!"

"Right!" Link assured her.

Mipha managed to get on her feet, on the horse's back, and as they got near she yelled, "Now!"

Link directed the horse as hard to the left as he could turn at a full gallop as Mipha leapt into the air, and the Lynel had no chance to react before she slammed her Lightscale Trident into its horns with enough force to break one off. The man-beast roared as she hit the ground rolling, turning round with her trident in hand, and as it made to move the Zora Champion hooked its shield on her trident, keeping its defenses thin. The beast's attempt to strike her found its sword met on Urbosa's own shield, and when it tried to head-butt them Daruk brought his Boulder Breaker down two-handed on its head to lock with its horn.

Then, suddenly, the beast pulled away.

The Champions stumbled back as the Lynel started to thrash like a wild horse in a rodeo - and all of them were surprised to see Link  _seated on its back_. The Master Sword was in her hand as she swung it once, twice, thrice into the Lynel's shoulders; as the fourth swing landed, the Lynel managed to throw her over its head, and she landed roughly on her sword arm as it raised its blade threateningly.

Revali used the opening to fire; two arrow shards struck the beast's flanks as the third collided with its face, and it pulled back just long enough for Link to regain her footing and drive the Master Sword into its heart. The Lynel's tormented roar echoed across Hyrule Field as she pulled the blade away, and after just a moment it fell to the ground, dead.

Link sighed, stumbling back as Revali landed nearby. "You just mounted a  _Lynel_ ," he reprimanded.

"Its lower half is a horse," Link defended. "Don't tell me I'm the first person to think of that."

"Well, you're definitely the first to try and make use of it," Daruk insisted.

Link was about to protest when hoofbeats drew the attention of all five Champions. Zelda had reached arrived on her white stallion, and she quickly drew herself off her steed and stepped towards them. "Tell me they're safe," she demanded.

The women stepped towards them. "We're fine," the younger sister insisted. "We thank you, and your Champions, Princess Zelda."

Zelda sighed. "Well, that's good to hear."

Urbosa stepped forward as they took off. "You shouldn't have come after us," she warned.

"I'll be damned if I stand back as you lot charge after a  _Lynel_ ," Zelda countered. Turning to the beast's corpse; "Which of you landed the killing blow?"

"That'd be your knight," Revali spat. "Get her a steed before it becomes a habit."

His words set confusion on Zelda's face before she realized what he was saying. "You mounted a  _Lynel?_ " she demanded of Link.

"It's lower half is a horse!" Link insisted again. "Am I seriously- Ah!"

She winced as she made to sheath the Master Sword and found her arm disagreeing with the weight and motion. Mipha's hand connected carefully with her arm, shifting her sleeve away to find a nasty gash from the Lynel's remaining horn had snuck its way under Link's tunic. As healing light started to flow from Mipha's palm, Zelda turned away with a distasteful look.

"...We'd best get back to the castle," she insisted. "My father's bound to have instruction ready for you all."

Link turned to her, concerned at her detached tone; and found the Princess refusing to meet her gaze.


End file.
